Monday, 14 January 2013

1984: THE BATTLE FOR GALACTICA at UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

This is something I picked-up from a secondhand book store: a 1984 guide to the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOUR (which was celebrating its 20th anniversary that year). It was bound to catch my eye anyway but the thing that made it a must-have was the two page spread devoted to the legendary (and now - sadly - long since defunct) BATTLE FOR GALACTICA attraction on the tour.

The tour segment opened in 1979 (just as the TV show was being cancelled, something that must have been a considerable frustration to Universal who clearly thought they had a cash-cow on their corporate hands) and finally shuttered (replaced by a BACK TO THE FUTURE ride) in 1992.

The ride involved the tour tram (see the cover picture below) being intercepted by a large Cylon craft. The tram is taken aboard and menaced by some animatronic Cylons (led by an decidedly off-model Imperious Leader) and Ovions (a pricy, high-profile, alien menace that the TV show - surprisingly - never resurrected for a return engagement). Just as the Cylon vessel is about to take off, a lone Colonial Warrior bursts in (in a hail of laser fire) and the tram escapes. The whole encounter only took a few minutes (the tour had a strict timetable to keep).

Centurions also wandered the tour to entertain the punters. The famous Dirk Benedict improvisation from THE A-TEAM (originally from the episode Steele before it became a title sequence fixture) happened whilst filming on the backlot.

The KNIGHT RIDER episode Fright Knight also makes extensive use of the backlot. It's possible to spot a decidedly past-its-prime Colonial Viper (possibly the one that was used whenever a wrecked Viper was required... or the full-sized version in a terrible condition) and the Monkey Bar from TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY.

Many (MANY!) Universal shows used the Universal lot on a regular basis and even, on occasion, cheekily used attractions on the tour as cheap sets. Famously, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, used the ice tunnel for the two-part 1976 story The Secret of Bigfoot.

SLOW ROBOT

Welcome to STARLOGGED!
It's a repository, and celebration, of Geek Media (mostly print) from the 'Star Age': that pre-millennial period between, roughly, 1972 (the opening of Marvel UK) and 1999 (the release of The Phantom Menace... and the end of innocence). But, of course, we'll bend the rules when we want to.
I only reproduce long out-of-print items for historical reference. I don't include anything that's currently in-print, is likely to be reprinted or otherwise commercially exploited by the copyright holder.
Comments and contributions are most welcome.